Most Common SEO Mistakes

You've heard many people talk about search engine optimization and its importance in the visibility of your website. Well, it is vital to your website, but there are certain rules to follow and certain techniques that are important to avoid at all cost. Here we will discuss some of the most common mistakes made by so called SEO 'experts', companies claiming to specialize in SEO, and even your average web developer alike.

The first and probably the most common mistake is improper utilization of the title tag or ignoring it altogether. The title tag is the browser title that appears within your website. It is considered very important by search engines and is used to decipher the relevancy of your site. Therefore, ensure that you do have a title tag and also that it contains your most important keywords and not just a generalized term or your company name. If you want to include your company name, you may do so, but place it near the end of the title, giving your keywords more importance at the beginning. The search engines will decide the importance of each word in your title based on its placement near the beginning.

The second most common error is the misuse or lack of proper keywords. Many companies try to use the more sought after keywords in their meta tags and descriptions in attempt to generate more traffic to their site, but if your company has nothing to do with these keywords, this traffic will be meaningless and a waste of valuable resources. Try to focus on the main topics directly related to your business and your website and find keywords that reflect these, but at the same time, are not overused or too broad in their meaning. For example, if you renovate kitchens in New York City, do not put as your keyword, kitchen, because this is too broad a title and will result in too much competition. Narrow down your keywords so that the traffic generated will be searching for specifically what you have to offer in that area, if appl icable. There are also programs and websites that can help you determine good keywords for your site, (www.wordtracker.com).

Another common practice is known as 'black hat SEO'. This refers to frowned upon methods used by certain companies in order to push your site to the top of the search engines. These methods include doorway pages, cloaking, spamming, using link farms and linking schemes, as well as invisible text. Doorway pages are 'fake' pages built into the website that only the search engine spiders can see. A different page is seen by the human viewer. These 'fake' pages are usually filled with keywords and descriptions, trying to trick the spider into giving you a higher page ranking. Cloaking is a form of the doorway page technique, in that the content presented to the search engine is different from the content seen by the viewer. Spamming is when multiple keywords are placed in the content of the page and in the code, making it unreadable but geared towards the search engines. Link farms and linking schemes refer to different websites offering links and linking techniques whose primary goal is to try to control and manipulate the search engine rankings. They offer tons of links but no real, valuable content. Lastly, some SEO companies will place invisible text on your site that is visible to the search engines but not to the viewer, ie.white text on a white background. All of these 'black hat' techniques are highly discourages and can often lead to your site being banned from major search engines or black listed. Once this has occurred it is very hard to undo, therefore be very careful, and make sure that the person or company taking care of your SEO is not employing these methods.

Fourthly, you often hear of companies advertising a fixed price to submit your site to hundreds of search engines as well as a promise to give you a top ten ranking and to resubmit your site whenever necessary. First of all, no company can promise you a ranking in the top ten. The search engines are constantly changing their criteria and algorithms used to decipher the rankings of each site and the only way that a company could even come close to being able to promise this is if they are using the 'black hat' techniques previously described. If this is the case, you may get lucky and appear in the top ten for a short while, but it will not last long, and you will quickly be bumped when the search engines realize what is happening. On top of which, you will permanently damage the image of your company on the web, so it is definitely not recommended. Another important factor to consider is that there are only about ten to twelve top search engines on the web, and most of the other search engines get their information from these top ten, therefore it is not necessary to have your site submitted to hundreds of search engines. Being listed in the top ten is more than enough. Lastly, when a company continually resubmits your site to the search engines, it is actually detrimental to your website, contrary to what many think. The search engines constantly update their information by going through your website every so often therefore it is not necessary to continually attempt to resubmit your information to them. Also, many search engines will ban you if you attempt to submit too often. The only time you ever need to resubmit to a search engine is if you have changed your url or if for some reason your website has been removed from the search engine. Otherwise, once you are there, you are there for good. For your reference, the top search engines on the web currently are: Google, Yahoo, MSN Search (top three), and then AltaVista, Direct Hit, Fast, Netscape, HotBot / AOL, Inktomi, Lycos, Ask Jeeves, and Open Directory. All of these will take time to index your site once you have submitted to them, so be patient, do not resubmit. The times vary from 1-10 weeks, depending. Google is usually 2-5 weeks and Yahoo 4-6 weeks.

Another common mistake is the overuse of images or flash content on your website. Of course, pictures and a flash intro look nice to the viewer, but they are not search engine friendly. Search engines are based on textual content and are not able to recognize flash or images and consequently will not use them when indexing your site. Therefore, try to minimize your use of images and flash, and try to ensure that the images you do have contain some text description in the form of alt tags.

In terms of site layout, you often see links from the home page leading to other pages in the site that are of relevance. One common mistake made in the development of the website is the usage of links that read "click here" instead of just underlining the actual title of the l ink. People are familiar enough with the web to know that an underlined title most often contains a link to the relevant page, therefore there is no need to place this type of link, and more importantly, search engines use your internal links in helping them decide your ranking, and having a link that says "click here" is completely useless to the search engine. Therefore, ensure that all your links have a clear and concise link title.

Finally, the biggest mistake that companies make in SEO is that they try to optimize their site for one specific search engine or focus more on the optimization itself than the actual content of the website. It is said that the best way to boost your rankings on the web, other than basic SEO, is to have good, original content that is constantly updated and user friendly. If your site is built in a way that it provides useful information to people searching the web, information that is not readily available on hundreds of other sites, and is easy to navigate, people will want to use your website and it will naturally go up in the rankings. Also, optimizing your site for one specific search engine is not recommended as each search engine has its own techniques for ranking websites, and optimizing your site for one search engine will not necessarily make it optimized for another.

In conclusion, SEO is necessary for your website, but due to the popularity of the web and the high competition, there are many unethical practices being used in order to boost website rankings. Refrain from using these 'black hat' methods, and stick to the basics, remembering that good, original content, and patience is imperative when it comes to success on the web. If you develop your site in a way that caters to the user in its content and usability, and you maintain it properly and update it regularly, you will obtain the desired results in due time.

About the Author:

Melanie Kanis http://www.synaxiom.com/ . I grew up in Montreal Quebec and became part of a growing web consulting firm called Synaxiom Media Group. This company gave me the opportunity to explore my talents and expand my knowledge. I have done a lot of research on the internet, common search engine optimization techniques and web design. I hope that my articles will be able to guide others when making educated decision on web projects.

A Perfect Link

By Sharon Housley

Webmasters are given the advice that they must attract links, but the key is not just to attract links... they need to attract good links. But what is the perfect link? The search for the perfect link need not be a quest in vain. Consider the following when attempting to attract links...

1. Related

The best links should come from related websites which contain similar and related content but not the same type of material or content. For example: A link for baby clothing would benefit from a link that discusses baby care.

2. Anchor

The anchor text (the "text" that is used in the link) should include keywords that relate to the topic covered on the web page that is being linked to. Anchor text should be varied; links that all have the same anchor text will appear manipulated and contrived to the search engines. Therefore, the text links should contain a variety of related words.

3. Deep Link

The links should direct visitors to a related page within the website. Do not make the mistake of directing all of the web links to a website's home page. Deep linking, and directing visitors to material that corresponds to content that is closely related to the text link is key. Deep linking appears more natural to search engines, whereas links directing all visitors to a single page or the home page seem unnatural, and could be interpreted as an effort to manipulate search engine ranking.

4. Domain And Page Authority

Search engines trust some websites more than others. Links from "authority" websites have more weight than links from lesser-known websites. Google is said to use PageRank as an indicator of authority. Keep in mind that PageRank is not the only factor used to determine a website's authority. Authority websites should still relate to the website it is pointing to.

5. Nix NoFollow

Links should not contain the NoFollow command. The NoFollow command directs search engines to not "follow" the link. If a link contains "NoFollow" there is no search engine benefit from the link; the only benefit to having the link is any organic traffic that results if the link is clicked. As a result, NoFollow links are nearly worthless.

6. Mix It Up

Links should come from a variety of sources. Fewer links from a larger number of websites will generally "weigh" more than a large number of links from a small number of websites.

7. Surrounding Text

Some search experts claim that the text surrounding a link can influence ranking. Whether this is true or not is difficult to determine. It is more likely that links containing surrounding text are more likely to be relevant, and as a result those links tend to be worth more.

8. Link Position

The location of the link on the page can also influence the value of the link. Some search experts claim that footer links carry less value than links which are integrated into the actual web page content.

9. Type of Link

There does not appear to be a difference between a "text" link's value and an "image" link's value, if the image link contains ALT text. The search engines use the image ALT text in the same way they use the anchor text of a text link.

10. Number Of Outbound Links

A page with fewer links is better than a page with a large number of links. This is because a webpage passes along what is referred to as "link juice". The more "link juice" passed along, the more valuable the link is. The link juice is divided up over all the links on a webpage, so popular websites with few outgoing links are more valuable than those with a large number of links.

11. Link Age

Search engine critics cannot seem to agree as to whether older links or newer links carry more value. When information is vague, it is best to garner both aged links and new links to websites.

12. Vintage Domain

The age of the domain is said to influence link power. More than likely the age of the domain simply contributes to the trustworthiness of the website, and links from trusted websites tend to have more value.

13. One Way Links

Links that are not reciprocal carry more weight than those which are simply link-for-link exchanges.

14. Page Content

A web page that is mostly just a líst of links has less value than a web page that contains a mixture of links and content.

15. Updated Pages

Web pages that are updated frequently will typically be spidered by search engines on a more frequent basis. The update will not influence the power of the link, but it will mean that the link will be picked up more quickly by the search engines.

16. Link Surges

Webmasters should be encouraged to gradually build links over time, rather than all at once. The gradual improvement is more natural and will have a stronger impact on organic search rankings.

The quest for the perfect link can be frustrating and elusive, but the fact is: the perfect link is logical, appears natural, and grows over time. Best of luck in your attempt to find the perfect link.

About The Author
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll

How to boost your Google rank with free links (Hint: It’s not just all about PageRank!)

You can expand your link network by getting FREE links from other sites.

This process is a little more time consuming… but the links you’ll get will definitely be worth it. (Not to mention all that extra traffic thanks to your improved search engine ranking!)

But before you set off in search of free links that will propel your site to the top of the search engine results, here are 5 things you need to consider:

Pay attention to PageRank — but don’t live or die by it!

When trying to find sites to link to their site, most people tend to look for ones that have a high PageRank.

(PageRank is a function of Google’s toolbar that supposedly measures the importance of a given website.)

However, all this focus on PageRank has resulted in many people looking ONLY at PageRank when evaluating possible linking sites. They also spend a lot of effort trying to improve their own PageRank — without stopping to consider whether their actions are helping their actual ranking in Google’s listings.

And that is not a good thing.

The fact is, no one is really sure exactly how much Google takes PageRank into account when calculating its natural search algorithms.

For example, sites with very little PageRank can be found at the top of the search results, while sites with a high PageRank are languishing on the fourth or fifth page… or even lower!

On top of that, it’s hard to tell exactly what PageRank uses as its criteria to measure a site’s "authority."

Government sites such as FEMA, the IRS, and the FBI all have a PageRank of 8 out of a possible 10. Yet I can’t imagine there’s a more authoritative source of information on the IRS than the IRS itself!

Finally, PageRank "addicts" should know that unscrupulous webmasters can steal another site’s PageRank and use it to manipulate their own PageRank numbers!

(In fact, this is what lots of shady "link sellers" do — they sell links based on their PageRank, but often that PageRank has been artificially inflated!)

So while you should still pay attention to PageRank, it’s certainly not the only thing you should look at. You need to consider what the actual rank of that site is, and how well its content relates to the content on your site.

(More about that in a moment…)

Looking for links from a commercial site? Make sure its products are complementary

There’s no point in trying to get a link from a site selling something that has no relation to your business! You need to look for commercial sites that sell things that go well with your product.

If you sell the cola and I sell the glasses and ice, it could be the beginning of a beautiful joint venture relationship that provides great value to both your customers and mine.

Look for web pages with content that’s closely related to the content on your page

I would argue that this is just as important as a site’s PageRank, if not more so.

You want your links to come from pages whose content is as focused on the content on YOUR page as possible.

It’s not just a matter of getting links pointing from another site’s homepage to your homepage! Try to go deeper and more specific than that.

If you sell used tennis rackets and you find a site that talks about tennis topics in general, try to get a link on a sub-page that talks specifically about tennis rackets.

And if it talks specifically about used tennis rackets, even better.

Also look for web pages that have content related to your product or service, even if the site itself doesn’t have any real relation to your business.

For example, if a popular blogger who typically writes about her daily life writes a post that directly relates to your product in some way, ask her if you can get a link on the page that has that particular blog post.

Or maybe a general information site has an article that relates to your product. THAT’S where you want your link — right on the article page itself.

Links from general information sites can still be valuable, provided they’re heavy traffic-sites with a great search engine rank.

But in general, it’s more effective — and in many cases, much easier — to try and get a link on a web page whose content directly relates to your own, even if that site is lower down in the search engine rankings and doesn’t get the same volume of traffic.

Is this a good page for a link? Consider it from the user’s perspective

When you’re debating whether a web page is a good link source, think about it from the perspective of the visitors to that site.

They’ve come to a page, and on it they see a link to a site they’ve never heard of before. It’s got intriguing anchor text and it’s embedded in content they’re interested in.

Now… if they click on that link, are they going to be happy?

If they don’t find what they expect to find — based on the content of the page that led them there — they’re going to be disappointed, and they’re going to leave.

And they’re going to think less of the site that sent them there.

So if you’re going to try and get links from other sites pointing to yours, make sure the people who click on that link are going to find something valuable to them!

Offer them free information — maybe something they can download, like a free report. Because if you don’t send them to a page that makes that click truly worth
their while, you’re just gaming the system.

When you ask for links, emphasize what’s in it for THEM

The days when you could email people and ask, "Please link to me" are long gone.

When you approach other sites owners to ask them to link to your site, what you’re really asking is for them to share some of their traffic with you.

Smart website owners are jealously protective of their traffic. They’re not going to share it with just anybody. The sites they recommend reflect back on them. If they tell people to go to a low-quality site, their visitors aren’t going to like them very much for it!

That’s why you need to emphasize the benefits of linking to your site — both for their visitors and for them.

How will you provide value to the visitors they send you? Are you a great source of information? Will your product help their visitors solve a problem you know they’re experiencing? Do you offer something the other site owner simply can’t provide — something you know their visitors want?

That’s what you need to tell them in order to convince them to link to your site.

Never forget: when you ask for a link from a site, you’re essentially borrowing that site’s credibility, and you need to be respectful about that.

Building a network of free links definitely takes some time… but you have to remember the benefits…

Not only will you enjoy the indirect benefit of better search ranking and the traffic it’ll bring you, you’ll also get the traffic sent directly from the links themselves!

And all that extra traffic will make all your efforts worthwhile.

[Ed. note: Andrew Mallory is one of our top Internet Entrepreneur Club experts.]

Written by Andrew · Filed Under Search Engine Marketing